Press Releases

HootSuite Acquires Android Developer Swift App

HootSuite Media, Inc. announces acquisition of Swift App, Inc. a company focused on developing social media applications for Google’s open mobile platform, Android. The announcement comes shortly after HootSuite released a version of the social media dashboard for Android handsets based on Swift App.March 12, Vancouver, CANADA – HootSuite Media, Inc. have acquired Swift App, Inc. a company specializing in Android™ App development, notably their flagship product “Swift App,” a Twitter client for Android. The acquisition means quicker development for the growing Android market and is a show of support for the emerging mobile platform. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The HootSuite for Android app allows users to update multiple Twitter profiles, perform realtime search, track keywords and examine click-through statistics for messages directly from the phone. Future plans for the Android app include Facebook integration and other tools to benefit marketers, consultants, collaborative teams from businesses to governments.

The Android open source mobile platform is now available on handsets from a variety of manufacturers members of the Open Handset Alliance who have produced phones such as the Motorola Droid or Google’s own Nexus One manufactured by HTC. The software is open source under an Apache license meaning that vendors can add proprietary extensions without submitting those back to the open source community.

HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes is enthusiastic about the growth potential for Android in the marketplace, “Android development is a key component to our business strategy and we are excited about the revolution in the mobile industry catalyzed by the Open Handset Alliance. With tens of thousands of phone shipping daily from dozens of manufacturers, we see no end in sight for this open standard. ”

The acquisition sees Swift App developer Sebastian Delmont joining HootSuite as a mobile adviser. Delmont says, “I am delighted to see HootSuite coming to Android, merging their amazing social media platform into the fastest Android Twitter client to produce one of the best mobile Twitter experiences.”

HootSuite released a version of the social media dashboard for Android on March 2, 2010 based on the foundation developed by Swift App. The app is available in Lite (free) or Full (paid) versions from the Android Market and received favorable coverage from many notable tech news sources including Mashable, TechCrunch, GigaOm, Leo Laporte, Robert Scoble, and ReadWriteWeb, along with dozens more news outlets. Release news roundup:http://blog.hootsuite.com/android-iphone-news-roundup/

In addition to the Android app, HootSuite offers a popular social media dashboard web app, two versions of iPhone® Apps, plus three varieties of desktop apps.

About Hootsuite

Hootsuite is the world's most widely used platform for managing social media. More than 15 million users, including 800+ of the Fortune 1000 companies, trust Hootsuite to manage their social media programs across multiple social networks from one integrated dashboard.